Newsroom Solutions' NewsTicker Enhances Amber Alerts

Newsroom Solutions has developed a new module for Amber Alerts that automatically delivers the missing child's picture, along with emergency information about the abduction through news crawls. The NewsTicker Amber Alert will provide information to surrounding states, unlike the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which is

Newsroom Solutions has developed a new module for Amber Alerts that automatically delivers the missing child's picture, along with emergency information about the abduction through news crawls.

The NewsTicker Amber Alert will provide information to surrounding states, unlike the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which is not activated in surrounding states. When an Amber Alert is processed, an alarm sounds on the NewsTicker intelliCommander, usually located in a station's master control room. NewsTicker can perform a DVE move or begin crawling the alert.

WCBS-TV, in New York City and WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida will lead the rollout of NewsTicker's Amber Alert module.

"WCBS-TV/CBS 2 is proud to participate in the testing of a new system in conjunction with Code Amber and Newsroom Solutions that will help inform our viewers in the event of an Amber Alert," said Lew Leone, president and general manager, WCBS-TV.

NewsTicker maintain the stations "look" for Amber Alerts and other breaking news displays with pre-built templates. The crawl text includes the stations' specific header and footer.

President George W. Bush signed the National Amber Alert bill into law Wednesday at a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. The bill creates a nationwide program to help find abducted children. This is in addition to what stations have been doing, interlacing Amber Alerts within the Emergency Alert System.